Injury in Unexpected Ways

Posted on Monday, September 9th, 2013 at 7:22 pm

The media has been abuzz lately with information regarding a man who allegedly exposed over 300 different people to HIV

David Mangum, a rural Missouri man who is infected with HIV, was arrested after one of his ex-partners came forward and accused him of knowingly exposing her to the virus she later tested positive as well. After his arrest, he admitted to having such encounters with hundreds of individuals that he met in a variety of ways. It is reported that none of these people were aware of his HIV-positive status.

Exposing another individual to HIV knowingly can carry a term of up to 15 years in prison, and infecting them can put you away for life. Both are forms of personal injury that can cause a severe decrease in quality of life, as well as eventual death in the latter scenario.

But while the issues of sexual safety are very much obvious in this case, there are other legal topics that you should be aware of in the realm of personal injury.

Personal Injury Isn’t Always Obvious

When many people hear the words personal injury, it conjures up images of a physical attack that inflicts lasting pain upon another individual. Or even further, they imagine an injury that is the result of negligence by the inactions of someone else.

But while both of these instances are very prevalent cases of personal injury, they are not the only examples personal injury cases can arise in situations you may not have imagined.

For example, in the case of David Mangum, he, as far as we know, did not inflict instantaneous physical pain on any of his lovers. In fact, it can be assumed that in the case of his ex-partner, she even consented to the physical act that they shared together.

This doesn’t free him from blame, though he was fully aware of his HIV-positive status, yet chose to withhold it from his partner. While his failure to speak did not lead to any present harm, she now bears the burden of HIV, a virus that she must deal with for the rest of her life.

Taking Responsibility for Your Actions Towards Others

In the situation involving David Mangum, he chose to place his own advancement above the physical health of individuals around him. And unfortunately, this sort of behavior is commonplace in the world by those who fail to think of the well being of others.

But its not always in this form.

A Different Scenario

Imagine this: you travel to see a personal trainer hoping to strengthen your legs. They put you on an intense strength training regiment that is intended to give you the best results possible in the shortest amount of time. You might be wary of their methods, but they have been accredited by numerous organizations, and are entirely worthy of your trust.

But after a year of this, you notice significantly more pain in your knees, and an MRI shows that this exercise routine has contributed to the deterioration of your meniscus.

And guess what? You need surgery.

So with the medical bills piling up, and the rehabilitation time spent hobbling around on crutches, you might be pretty frustrated and ready to place blame.

And even though the personal trainer smiled at you each day, promising to sculpt your legs and help give you a better life, their actions led to your disability.

While not as apparent, that’s a possible example of personal injury.

And if you or a loved one has been subjected to treatment like this, speaking to a qualified Philadelphia injury attorney can help you recover any and all compensation that you truly deserve. Call Zavodnick, Zavodnick & Lasky, LLC at (215) 875-7030 to learn more.